This invention relates to an image communication apparatus capable of sending or receiving a color image as well as a monochromatic image and to a communication control method thereof.
Conventionally, ITU-T T.30 recommendation is known as a procedure to transmit a color image. When this T.30 recommendation is applied, the minimum width of the image transmittable was a width of A4 paper (210 mm) and its resolution is limited to 100 dpi, 200 dpi, 300 dpi, and 400 dpi.
On the other hand, the size for a color image to be used mainly at home is generally smaller than a version of A4, such as an L-size printed picture (85 mmxc3x97127 mm or the like), an official postcard or the like. Due to this, when image data of a picture in an L-size is transmitted, it is necessary to change the size to an A4 size by adding marginal data, or enlarge the image data to constitute an A4 size for transmission. In addition, a low-priced color printer for domestic use capable of printing a color image has been popular, and the resolution of a print head of the printer is 360 dpi and 720 dpi.
This gives rise to a necessity that in the case where image data transmitted in the above-described resolution is received and printed at home or the like, printing should be implemented subject to decimal multiplication of the image data received, for example, in a resolution of 400 dpi or the like by 0.9 or the like, or subject to resolution conversion with multiplication not involving an integer. However, implementation of such conversion involving such multiplication rates gives rise to a remarkable deterioration of quality of a printed image.
In addition, it is necessary to implement communication by using a non-standard procedure signal such as NSF/NSS/NSC (hereinafter, referred to as NSX) to transmit image data in any special size or resolution not yet standardized. However, in a procedure using these NSX signal, only when manufacturer""s code (which is different in manufactures) and model code or the like included in the NSX signal correspond to that of a receiver side, communication can be implemented, and the communication procedure using these NSX signal will be original. Therefore, the communication using the NSX signal could be performed only among limited models of the same manufacturer. Moreover, in a case where a transit transmission is implemented via an exchange such as F network or the like, or in another case even with the transmitting terminal and receiving terminal being models of the same manufacturer, the communication is not performed when an intermediate machine such as an exchanger or the like was a product of a different manufacturer.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above-described conventional examples, and the object thereof is to provide an image communication apparatus which is capable of implementing communication between different models and image communication for various images by executing a standard communication procedure with high flexibility without using any non-standardized procedure when image data not standardized according to the ITU-T recommendation is transmitted, and to provide a communication controlling method thereof.
In addition, the object of the present invention is to provide an image communication apparatus as well as a communication control method thereof which have been made communicable without considering an attribute of an image to be communicated having been ITU-T recommendation or not.
In addition, the object of the present invention is to provide an image communication apparatus which executes an image communication using a standard procedure without being inconsistent with the ITU-T recommendation by transmitting a non-standard attribute in an image data communicating phase to a receiver side when image data having non-standard attribute is transmitted, as well as a communication controlling method thereof.
The object of the present invention is to provide an image communication apparatus which is capable of implementing communication between different manufactures"" models by executing a standard communication procedure with high flexibility without using any non-standardized procedure when image data not standardized according to the ITU-T recommendation is transmitted, and to provide a communication controlling method thereof.
Moreover, the object of the present invention is to provide an image communication apparatus which is capable of implementing transmission and reception by changing a communication procedure even when an attribute of image data for transmission and reception is not standardized by the ITU-T recommendation, and to provide a communication controlling method thereof.
In order to attain the above-described objects, the image communication apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows. That is, the image communication apparatus comprises:
communication means to transmit image data in the G3 facsimile procedure,
reception command transmitting means for transmitting a reception command including a first image attribute of an image to be transmitted which is specified by the ITU-T recommendation,
attribute transmitting means for transmitting information including a second image attribute of the image to be transmitted in a phase to transmit the image after the command is sent out by the reception command transmission means, and
controlling means for controlling data transmission so that in a case where an image having attribute not specified by the ITU-T recommendation is transmitted, regardless of the attribute of image to be transmitted, a reception command including the first image attribute specified by the ITU-T recommendation is sent by the reception command transmission means and information including the second image attribute is sent by the attribute transmitting means.
In order to attain the above-described objects, the image communication apparatus of the present invention comprises:
communication means for receiving image data in the G3 facsimile procedure specified by the ITU-T recommendation,
reception command receiving means for receiving a reception command including a first image attribute specified by the ITU-T recommendation of an image to be transmitted from a sender side by the communication means,
determination means for determining whether or not an image having a second image attribute not specified by the ITU-T recommendation can be processed upon receipt of information including the second image attribute in a phase to receive the image succeeding reception of the command, and
processing means for processing a received image by means of the second image attribute, not by means of the first image attribute included in the reception command, based on the determination outcome from the determination means.
In order to attain the above-described objects, the image communication method of the present invention comprises the following steps.
a reception command transmitting step of transmitting a reception command including a first image attribute of an image to be transmitted which is specified by the ITU-T recommendation,
an attribute transmitting step of transmitting the information including a second image attribute of an image to be transmitted in a phase to transmit the image after sending out the reception command in the reception command transmission step, and
a controlling step of controlling so that in a case where an image having an attribute not specified by the ITU-T recommendation is transmitted, regardless of an attribute of an image to be transmitted, the reception command including the first image attribute specified by the ITU-T recommendation is sent out in the reception command transmission step and the information including the second image attribute is sent in the attribute transmitting step.
In order to attain the above-described objects, the image communication method of the present invention comprises the following steps.
a reception command receiving step of receiving a reception command including a first image attribute specified by the ITU-T recommendation of an image to be transmitted from a sender side,
a determination step of determining whether or not a second image attribute can be processed upon receipt of information including the second image attribute not specified by the ITU-T recommendation in a phase to receive the image succeeding the reception command, and
a processing step of processing a received image by means of the second image attribute but not the first image attribute included in the reception command, based on the determination in the determination step.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.